On a mission for the perfect kitchen

The Best Dutch Oven For Our Kitchen

The Best Dutch Oven For Our Kitchen

The Best Dutch Oven For Our Kitchen

Imagine you arrive home one day to find that every pot in your kitchen has disappeared except one. A nightmare? Not for us. There is a cooking vessel that could literally be the only one in our kitchen, and we wouldn’t be too badly off. We’re not saying it’s best for every task (although it’s best for many tasks!), but we’d be hard-pressed to come up with something it can’t do. What pot are we talking about? Our choice for best Dutch oven, the 7¼ Quart Round Dutch Oven from Le Creuset.

What Is A Dutch Oven, Anyway?

A Dutch oven is essentially a large, heavy pot with a tight-fitting lid that can be used on the stovetop or in the oven. Dutch ovens are wider than they are tall, and are usually made of cast iron, often with an enameled finish. They are sometimes referred to as a casserole or French Oven.

What Is It For?

We make the following in our Dutch oven:

  • Braises:
    • Baked beans
    • Chili
    • Stews/Casseroles
    • Whole chickens
    • Short ribs

  • Whole chickens

  • Soup

  • Deep-fried foods

  • Bread

  • Seared meats

  • Sauces

  • Pasta

  • Rice

Why It Is Great

Enameled Interior

The smooth surface makes it incredibly easy to clean. This may be our favorite feature of the Le Creuset Dutch oven!

Interior Color

The sand-colored interior makes it easy to see the fond and the level of browning on the base of the pot.

Durability

The quality of the finish on Le Creuset cookware is legendary, and is one of the key factors that distinguishes the brand from its competitors. The exterior enamel is long-lasting and resists chipping. A Le Creuset Dutch oven can literally be handed down for generations.

Sides and Cooking Surface

Unlike Dutch ovens that have very sloped sides that reduce the usable space on the bottom, Le Creuset’s vertical sides are quite straight.

Big Handles

The large looped handles are easy to grip, even with oven mitts.

Knob

The Le Creuset knob is easy to grab hold of, and withstands temperatures up to 500°F.

What's Not To Like?

Price

Perhaps more than any piece of kitchen equipment in a kitchen, price is a major consideration when it comes to choosing a Le Creuset Dutch oven. We actually waited over 20 years before finally taking the plunge and investing in ours. It is a very expensive pot, but it is the standard by which all Dutch ovens are measured.

There are 3 questions we ask ourselves before spending a lot of money on a kitchen tool:

  1. Will it get a lot of use in our kitchen.
  2. Will it outperform the competition.
  3. Will it last a very long time.

A Le Creuset Dutch oven easily checks all 3 boxes. We also find it beautiful and get a ton of enjoyment from using it, which makes being in our kitchen more fun!

If you’re not picky about color, we suggest keeping an eye on the Amazon link we’ve provided, and checking the different color options. Every once in a while, you can find a particular color at a reduced price!

Weight

Like all Dutch ovens, the Le Creuset is very heavy, even when empty. We have friends who reduce the need to lug around their Dutch oven by never putting it away. They just leave it on their cooktop.

Also Worth Knowing

  • Le Creuset produces Dutch ovens in about a dozen colors and 8 sizes, so you can find the one that suits your needs, decor and budget. We prefer the 7¼-Quart size, which is big enough for any recipe. If you’re curious, the color of our Dutch oven, pictured in this post, is “Caribbean.”

Did You Know?

Le Creuset refers to the piece discussed in this post as a “French oven.” The term “Dutch oven” is commonly used in the U.S.

A “creuset,” from which the company takes its name, is a melting pot into which molten iron and steel are poured as part of the cast iron production process. The company was founded and is still based in Fresnoy-le-Grand, in northern France.

The signature Le Creuset color is “Flame” or “Volcanic,” and is modeled after the intense orange hue of molten cast iron.

Sources
  1. Le Creuset → About Us, Le Creuset UK website
  2. Kate Hilpern, The Secret History Of: Le Creuset, The Independent, November 19, 2010

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